Online Watercolor Course with Broderick Wong – Part 2

I’m continuing with my online course at Udemy.com by Broderick Wong, a very talented, award winning watercolor artist. Having lots of fun with these paintings. These are a few of the pieces I worked on in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8″ Watercolor Journal.

Thanks for stopping by!!

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Thoughtful Thursday: Attitude

Photo by Nicole Avagliano on Pexels.com

I’ve been listening and reading a lot of inspirational works. There’s one thing I’m noticing that keeps coming up and that’s “Attitude.” Attitude is defined as: A manner of thinking, feeling, or behaving that reflects a state of mind or disposition.

Attitude seems to be the foundation of our lives and is a reflection of what is going on in our minds and where we our in life. Our success or lack of, is based on our attitude, and it is tightly woven in with our thoughts. The two are pretty much intertwined.

It stands to reason then that a Good Attitude gives you good results. But if you have a poor attitude towards learning something new that could move you forward in your life, you’ll just get stuck in the mud and won’t go anywhere. If your attitude is one that all the cards are always stacked against you, then you’re powerless to change anything.

All of these negative attitudes make you a magnet for attracting more negative situations into your life. Have you ever had a day that starts with one thing going wrong and then there seems to be a domino effect of one thing after another that keeps going wrong? By allowing yourself to dwell on the negativity in your day, you allowed your attitude to become negative and thus made yourself into a human magnet for attracting more negative situations into your life.

So how can we change? Start each day with gratitude and the intention of how you want the day to go. Don’t jump out of bed, rushing through your morning and responding to the day as you go. Instead, take a minute to set a clear intention on how you want your day to play out. I mean really think about it and allow yourself to feel how wonderful it is to have such an awesome day!

Do this every day and you’ll be surprised at how your life improves when you set a daily intention to maintain a positive attitude.

I hope this inspires you in some way today. Thanks for stopping by!!

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“A great attitude is not the result of success; success is the result of a great attitude.” ~Earl Nightingale

Photo by Flo Maderebner on Pexels.com

Watercolor Journal Golden Hair Angel

When I finished painting this angel the first thing that came to my mind was the song by America, Sister Golden Hair. With that being said, I named her Golden Hair Angel. It seemed to be a fitting name, lol. She is my latest angel in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ watercolor journal. I didn’t think I would like her yellow hair that much, but it grew on me. What do you think?

Have a great week!

Thanks for stopping by!!

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Online Watercolor Course with Broderick Wong – Part 1

I recently started taking online classes at Udemy.com. One of my favorites is by Broderick Wong, a very talented, award winning watercolor artist. I love his energy and enthusiasm, he keeps things interesting. I’ve been learning a lot of new tips and techniques in his class, and just having lots of fun. These are a few of the pieces I worked on in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8″ Watercolor Journal.

I’m still fairly new to Udemy.com but they offer a big variety of online courses covering many subject matters. Not to mention, the classes are reasonably priced especially with the sales they have. I highly recommend you check them out.

Thanks for stopping by!!

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Thoughtful Thursday Halloween Decor

I wanted to share with you some fun Halloween decorations that you can easily make. I love vintage images and had purchased these at a show I was at, but you can find tons online. Please read the instructions first before beginning so you have an idea of what you will be doing. The supply list is at the bottom of this post.

Instructions

  1. Decide how you want to hang your plaques. Based on the type of plaque you have you may want to attach a picture hook to the back or you can drill 2 small holes in the top corners and sand them if needed.
  2. Apply a good coat of gesso to each plaque, front and back.
  3. Find images online and print them on cardstock. Cut them out and set aside.
  4. Paint each plaque in a coordinating color. Let dry overnight. Sand edges for a worn look and wipe off dust.
  5. Steps 6, 7 and 8 are the instructions for hanging with wire. If you used a picture hook in the back of your plaque, skip steps 6, 7 and 8. Another alternative to the wire is to use a piece of fabric or yarn which you would also skip these 3 next steps.
  6. Cut 11 inches of the jewelry wire. From the back of the plaque, put one end through the hole, coming out of the front of the plaque and coil the end with the pliers to knot it.
  7. Slightly off center at the top of the wire, wrap the wire around a pencil, 3 times and slide the pencil out.
  8. Feed the other end of the wire through the second hole from the back of the plaque, coming out in the front. Cut off any excess wire and coil the end as in step 6.
  9. Glue your images on to the plaque with Aleene’s Tacky Glue.
  10. Add a piece of torn autumn fabric to the top of the wire and that’s it!

Supplies:

  • 3 Vintage Halloween Images
  • 3 Wood Plaques fitting your images
  • Gesso
  • Acrylic Paint: Black, Orange, Red or any of your choice
  • Black Copper Jewelry Wire
  • Drill for hanging
  • Picture hanging hook/bracket (optional)
  • Needle nose jewelry pliers
  • Harvest Fabric scraps
  • Aleene’s Tacky Glue

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Thanks for stopping by!!

🎃 Share the Spooky 🎃

Watercolor Journal Angel Ariana

While I loved doing the Color Lovers Challenge, I really missed painting my angels. Before we get too far away from summer and hues of blue, I thought I would post Ariana which I made in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ watercolor journal. I love all the blues and violets in this one. What do you think?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Have a wonderful week!

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Color Lovers Challenge – Days 29 – 30

Well, I made it! 30 Days of Color Prompts. I really enjoyed this art journey. I found some of the prompts to be easy, while others were a real challenge and took me out of my comfort zone. But as a result, I found new colors that I fell in love with 💖 I also learned new techniques and had a few happy accidents, lol.

Thank you for joining me on this wonderful adventure! These are my last 2 entries. If you missed my earlier creations, I’ll have links at the bottom of this post.

Day 29 Clouds/Sunset or Sunrise

For this prompt I’m used my sunrise art I previously made with bright fun colors. This is a mixed media piece made on wood using pyrography, also known as wood burning. I painted it with acrylic and watercolor paints and added fabric and a few rhinestones for a little bling.

Day 30 – Artist Choice

This is the last prompt, Artist Choice. I thought I’d try painting something new. So I painted the night sky in watercolor with a little scenery. I added a little shading with colored pencils and of course, glitter for twinkling stars.

In case you missed my previous pages, just click the links: 

Day 1

Days 2 thru 5

Days 6 thru 9

Days 10 thru 13

Days 14 thru 17

Days 18 thru 21

Days 22 thru 25

Days 26 thru 28

I hope you enjoyed coming on this journey with me for the ColorLoversChallenge. Your support was greatly appreciated 🥰

Thanks for stopping by!!

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Thoughtful Thursday Veggie Soup Recipe

Photo by Roy Sloan on Pexels.com

With the frigid cold months approaching, it’s always nice to sit down with a warm bowl of soup. I always go into soup mode during the fall and winter seasons. It’s pretty warm down here in the south, but thankfully the temps do cool off enough to enjoy delicious soups.

Soups are especially tasty when you’re feeling under the weather. There’s a certain magic to eating a warm bowl of soup. No matter how bad you feel, you always feel better after eating a bowl.

There are many types of soups. Some are served cool or flat out cold while others are served warm or very hot. The consistency also varies depending on what’s in your soup. Personally, I like a soup full of flavor and hearty enough to satisfy my appetite.

You can buy lots of soups in your grocery store. But that’s all processed food loaded with salt and a lot of other ingredients you can’t pronounce. Not to mention ingredients that shouldn’t be in your food in the first place. Making soup is fairly easy and most definitely worth the effort.

The internet is loaded with tons of recipes. I find vegan soups taste just as good or sometimes even better than non-vegan. Forks-Over-Knives has a ton of delicious soup recipes on their website. Whether you’re vegan or not, these recipes serve as good place to start with and then just add a few of your own ingredients.

One of my favorite soups is made in my Vitamix Blender which has a program setting for hot soup. If you don’t have a setting for hot soup on your blender you can still make this soup using your blender and then warm it on the stove for a few minutes.

Creamy Veggie Soup Recipe

  • 1 Carrot, roughly chopped
  • 1 Stalk Celery, roughly chopped
  • 4-5 Large Pieces of Fresh Broccoli, roughly chopped
  • 1 Tomato, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 Zucchini, roughly chopped
  • 1 Clove of Garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 Cup Raw Almonds
  • 2 Tbsp Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
  • 1 Tbsp Organic Red Miso
  • 1/8 tsp Organic Cayenne Pepper (optional)
  • 1 Cup Water

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. If your blender doesn’t have the soup feature, then warm the soup in a small pot on the stove for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a bowl.

Extras

  • 1/2 Hass Avocado, sliced
  • Fresh Organic Cilantro, chopped
  • 1 Slice of Ezekiel Bread

Top your soup with sliced avocado and cilantro. Serve with a slice of bread and enjoy!

Try creating your own variations with this soup, like adding some cooked black beans outside of the blender for texture. There’s lots of options, be creative and add what you love to eat.

Thanks for stopping by!!

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“In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices.” ~Deepak Chopra

Photo by Jacob Colvin on Pexels.com

Color Lovers Challenge – Days 26 – 28

The last week of Jodi Ohl’s Color Lovers Challenge which runs 30 days. Just a few more to go! If you missed my earlier creations, I’ll have links at the bottom of this post. These are my latest creations:

Day 26 – Favorite Color

My favorite color is blue, for my love of the ocean. So for this prompt I did an abstract and added a fun quote “We do not stop working and playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop working and playing.” 

Day 27 – Contrast

The prompt was contrast so I decided on painting the night sky in watercolor. No words, no quotes, just the magic and mystery of the night sky.

Day 28 – Apple/Orange/Lemon/Pear

I took today’s prompt literally. I made a whimsical watercolor painting of an apple, orange, lemon and pear and added texture to each one. I added a quote: “Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well.”⠀

In case you missed my previous pages, just click the links: 

Day 1

Days 2 thru 5

Days 6 thru 9

Days 10 thru 13

Days 14 thru 17

Days 18 thru 21

Days 22 thru 25

I hope you’re enjoying my entries for the ColorLoversChallenge. Two more entries to go and I’m done. Whoo hoo!!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

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A Farm Girl’s Life

This is a new poem book written by a wonderful young lady, Allison. I enjoy reading her blog and I’m sure you will to. I recommend hopping over to her site to read more about her new book release and giveaway on her blog: A Farm Girls Life

I wish her Great Success with her 3rd Book!!!

Seeing Beyond {My Poem Book + a Giveaway + More Exciting Stuff} — A Farm Girl’s Life

Hello, my friends! I WROTE ANOTHER BOOK! AND… OTHER EXCITING STUFF! In this post I shall reveal my newest poem book, introduce you to my editor, and start a lovely giveaway to kick off the book launch!  You ready for the most exciting post I’ve made all year? Okay, I’ve hyped it up enough. LET’S […]

Seeing Beyond {My Poem Book + a Giveaway + More Exciting Stuff} — A Farm Girl’s Life